Apparatus for temporarily fixing light waveguide ends in a defined position

ABSTRACT

In order to fix mutually parallel light-guide ends in a clamping device, it has to be ensured, when using a standard clamping device for different numbers of light-guide ends, that the clamping device is positioned differently depending on the number of light-guide ends. Prior-art apparatuses are of very complex design and are difficult to use. The invention specifies an apparatus which is of straightforward design and in which, depending on the number of light-guide ends which are to be clamped, the clamping devices is fitted in each case in mounts assigned to the number of light-guide ends. The mounts are advantageously arranged here in the form of a centering body which, by rotation through 90° in each case about its longitudinal axis and/or through 180° about a transverse axis perpendicular to said longitudinal axis, is brought into a total of eight different positions. This provides fixedly predetermined mounts for a total of eight different numbers of light-guide ends.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to an apparatus for temporarily fixing light-guideends in a defined position in a clamping device for the subsequentfurther processing of the light-guide ends in a machining tool.

EP 0 475 474 A1 discloses that, before two light-guide ends are splicedtogether, the two light-guide ends have to be adjusted precisely inrelation to one another in order for the additional optical losses to bereduced. Since the adjustment of individual light-guide ends is verytime-consuming, a plurality of light-guide ends are adjusted in relationto one another at the same time here. In this case, either use is madeof fiber bundles in which individual light-guide ends are fixed parallelto one another, or individual light-guide ends are aligned parallel toone another in one plane before the splicing operation. Thepredetermined sheath diameter of 250 μm for the individual light guidesgives a corresponding spacing between the individual light guides.Following the alignment, the light-guide ends are fixed in a clampingdevice. This clamping device is then fitted into a splicing apparatus,and a second group of light-guide ends are also prepared in a secondclamping device, which is likewise fitted into the splicing device. Themutually parallel light-guide ends, of which there is a relatively largenumber, are then jointly adjusted and spliced. In order that standardclamping devices can be used for different numbers of light-guide ends,the position of the mutually parallel light-guide ends in the clampingdevices is to be adapted to the number of light-guide ends. Known forthis purpose are sorting apparatuses of complex design which provide aball slide with a micrometer screw for the different fitting positionsof the light-guide ends positioned in relation to one another.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The object of the invention is to specify an apparatus which is intendedfor temporarily fixing light-guide ends in a defined position in aclamping device for the subsequent further processing of the light-guideends in a processing tool and which is of straightforward design and iseasy to use.

This object is achieved by an apparatus having a fixing device withmeans for positioning a plurality of light waveguides, such as opticalfibers, in a defined or fixed position side-by-side and parallel in oneplane, a clamping device for holding the light waveguide ends, whichclamping device is insertable into a mount of the fixing device and canbe brought to a definite position in relation to the fixed lightwaveguide ends by a stop arrangement of the mount, the improvementcomprising the fixing device and the mount having centering means whichare assigned to one another and can abut against one another and that aplurality of changeable mounts are provided and can be insertedalternately into the fixing device, the stop means of the differentmounts varying in a stepwise manner in their position transverse to thelight waveguide ends, so that the clamping device can be adapted to adifferent number of fixed light waveguide ends by adjusting the stopmeans transversely to the light waveguide ends.

It is provided here that the clamping device can be inserted into amount of the fixing device, and the fixing device and the mount havecentering means which are assigned to one another and can butt againstone another. Provided in this case are quickly changeable mounts fordifferent numbers of light-guide ends, the different mounts having stopmeans which vary in a stepwise manner in their position transverse tothe light-guide ends. This makes it possible, depending on the number oflight-guide ends which are to be fixed, for the corresponding mounts tobe selected and fitted quickly into the mount of the fixing device.

It is particularly advantageous to combine different mounts in onecentering body which, can be inserted into the fixing device indifferent rotary positions. The centering body can assume up to eightdifferent rotary positions and thus provide up to eight differentmounts. This does away with high-outlay storage of different mounts.

The apparatus advantageously has a fiber-guide slot into which anassociated fiber slide can be introduced in order to align thelight-guide ends parallel in one plane and in a closely adjacent mannerto one another.

For straightforward use of the apparatus, the apparatus provides acomb-like sorting element which is mounted rotatably between twopositions, with the result that, in a first position, the fibers arefixed in the fiber-guide slot and, in the second position, they areclamped in the clamping device.

The invention will be explained in more detail by way of an exemplaryembodiment and with reference to the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the apparatus according to the inventionand

FIG. 2 shows a schematic side view of a centering body.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

FIG. 1 illustrates how—in this example four—light-guide ends 1 arealigned parallel to one another and clamped on a clamping device 2. Thelight-guide ends here may be, for example, glass fibers or plasticfibers. Further light-guide ends 1 are indicated by dashed lines, andthese indicate that different numbers of light-guide ends can be fixedby the apparatus according to the invention. On a top surface or side,the clamping device 2 has V-grooves (not illustrated) at a unit spacingof 250 μm, in order that the light-guide ends which are to be clampedare clamped in the clamping device parallel to one another and in aclosely adjacent manner.

The clamping device 2 is mounted on a mount 4 in the fixing device 3. Asis illustrated in FIG. 2, the mounts 4 are arranged in the form of acentering body 7. The clamping device 2 is retained here by stop means5, 15 arranged on the centering body 7. The position of the centeringbody 7 in relation to the fixing device 3 is determined by centeringmeans 6, 16 on the centering body and centering means 17 of the fixingdevice 3. In the example illustrated, the respective centering means 6,17 butt against one another. The cuboidal centering body 7 isconstructed such that the individual mounts 4 are arranged such that therespectively associated stop means 5, 15 are spaced apart from therespectively associated centering means 6, 16 by different spacings a1,a2. This allows the centering body 7 to be fastened in differentpositions in the fixing device 3. These spacings a1, a2, which differ ina stepwise manner, ensure that, even with different numbers oflight-guide ends 1, the light-guide ends 1 are clamped in the centralV-grooves of the clamping device 2.

In the example illustrated, a clamping device 2 is retained on a firststop means 5 and said stop means 5 is spaced apart from the firstcentering means 6 by a spacing a1. If the centering body 7 is theninstalled in the fixing device 3 in a state in which it has beenrotated, for example, through 180° about its longitudinal axis, theclamping device 2 (illustrated by dashed lines) is retained on a secondstop means 15, which is spaced apart from the second centering means 16by a spacing a2. By a corresponding arrangement of the centering andstop means of the cuboidal centering body, it is thus possible torealize up to eight different spacings a1, a2. In this case, thecentering body is rotated in each case through 90° about itslongitudinal extent and/or through 180° about a transverse axisperpendicular to said longitudinal extent. In the example illustrated inFIG. 2, a total of six different spacings are realized in order to fix,for example, two, four, six, eight, ten and twelve light-guide ends.

The procedure for the temporary fixing in a defined position then takesplace as follows. First of all, depending on the number of light-guideends 1 which are to be fixed, the desired position of the centering body7 is determined and the centering body 7 is correspondingly installed inthe fixing device 3. Then the clamping device 2, which is standard fordifferent numbers of light-guide elements 1, is fitted into the mount 4of the centering body 7. The light-guide ends 1 which are to be fixedare clamped into a fiber clip 10 and introduced into a fiber-guide slot11 of the fixing device 3. In order that the individual light-guide ends1 are aligned parallel to one another in a closely adjacent manner, aslide 13 of a fiber slide 12 is introduced into the fiber-guide slot 11.The fiber slide 12 is magnetically attracted here by the comb-likesorting element 9, the slide 13 pressing on the light-guide ends 1 in aresilient manner. The comb-like sorting element 9 is then rotated abouta rotary bearing 14, with the result that the fixed light-guide ends 1on the clamping device 2 come to rest in the V-grooves (notillustrated). The light-guide ends 1 are clamped there. After this, thefiber clips 10 are opened, the fiber slide 12 is drawn out, thecomb-like sorting element 9 is pivoted upward and it is possible toremove the clamping device 2 with the clamped light-guide ends 1.

The clamped light-guide ends 1 may then undergo joint furtherprocessing. For example, it is possible for them to be fitted indifferent processing tools and, depending on the processing tool, madejointly to be of the same length, for the sheath to be removed and forthem to be adjusted jointly in relation to another, correspondinglyprepared fiber bundle and then to be welded to this second fiber bundle.

Instead of individual light-guide ends 1, the apparatus is also suitablefor temporarily fixing in a defined position light-guide bundles (fiberbundles) with—in this example—up to twelve individual light guides 1.

We claim:
 1. An apparatus for temporarily fixing light waveguide ends ina defined position parallel one beside the other in one plane in aclamping device, said apparatus comprising a fixing device having meansfor positioning a plurality of light waveguides in a fixed positionside-by-side and parallel, at least one mount, a clamping deviceinserted into the mount to be brought into a defined position inrelation to the light waveguides in the fixed position, the mount andfixing device having stop means, the fixing device and mount havingcentering means which are assigned to one another and can abut againstone another, a plurality of changeable mounts being provided and beinginserted alternately into the fixing device with the stop means of thedifferent mounts varying in a stepwise manner in the position transverseto the light waveguides, so that a different number of fixed lightwaveguide ends can be positioned by the stop means to be adjustedtransversely to the light waveguide in the clamping device.
 2. Anapparatus according to claim 1, wherein the different mounts arecombined in one centering body which can be inserted into the fixingdevice in different rotated positions with the stop means beingpositioned differently in each of the different rotated positions.
 3. Anapparatus according to claim 2, wherein the means for positioning has atleast one fiber guide slot provided with a fiber slide, said guide slotpositioning the light waveguide ends parallel to each other in one planeand the slide holding the waveguides in the fiber guide slot in such aclose adjacent manner to one another that the individual light waveguideends are in contact with one another.
 4. An apparatus according to claim3, wherein the at least one fiber guide slot is arranged in a comb-likesorting element, which is mounted for rotation on the fixing devicebetween two positions with the result that, in the first position, thefibers are fixed in the fiber guide slots and, in the second position,they are clamped in the clamping device.
 5. An apparatus according toclaim 1, wherein the means for positioning includes at least one fiberguide slot and a fiber slide, said guide slot positioning the lightwaveguides in one plane and parallel to each other, said fiber slideholding the waveguides in such a close adjacent manner to one anotherthat the individual light waveguide ends are in contact with oneanother.
 6. An apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the one fiberguide slot is arranged in the comb-like sorting element, which ismounted rotationally between two positions on said fixing device withthe first position allowing positioning the waveguides in the fiberguide slot and a second position locating the waveguides for clamping bythe clamping device.